Track clearing and drying device.



No. 632,782. Patented Sept. l2, I899, J. DIXON. TRACK CLEARING AND DRYING DEVICE.

(Application filed Apr. 3, 1899.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES m: umms Farms 00. PHOTO-LITHCL, WASHINGTON, n. cy

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES DIXON, OF PAINESVILLE, OHIO.

TRACK CLEARING AND DRYING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 632,782, dated September 12, 1899.

Application filed April 3, 1899- Serial No- 711,4=B1. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES DIXON, a resident of Painesville, Lake county, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track Clearing and Drying Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to means for cleaning and drying tracks, such as railroad-tracks.

My invention consists in means for cleaning and drying the tracks of traction or locomotive engines by projecting air under pressure in advance of the traction-wheels of said traction-engine or locomotive.

In the drawings, Figure I is a view of a locomotive, illustrating so much of the same as appertains to my invention. Fig. II is a plan view of a locomotive, showing my device and my preferred method of heating the air. Fig. III shows lower end of ejecting-pipe.

The object of this invention is to project dry or heated air upon the rails in contradistinction to projecting commingled air and steam or steam alone.

A further object of this invention is to drive the moisture, grease, and the like from the rails toward the inner sides of the rail, so that the same may serve to a certain extent as a lubricant for the flanges of the driving-wheels of a locomotive between the said flanges and the sides of the rails.

Heretofore and before my invention it has been customary to project steam upon the rails of a railway; but in certain cases this is objectionable, because steam, even in a superheated state, when so projected upon the rail (more especially when the temperature is below zero) will quickly condense, thus acting to interfere with the traction between the driving-wheels and the rail. It has also been customary to project air by means of steam-jets, the air being taken from the firebox of the locomotive. This is objectionable,

because where the air is projected by steam, even when such air is taken from the fire-box, a certain amount of moisture is projected upon the track, and also when air is taken from the fire-box a certain amount of the products of combustion, which contain carbon, cinders, or the like, will be projected with the air. That is the one objectionable feature which I wish to avoid in my invention. The air which I project upon the track is supplied under pressure in advance of the locomotive-wheels and is heated under pressure by means of the heat generated by the boiler-furnace. This is an essential feature in my invention, inasmuch as I have found that air under pressure may be more easily heated and that by taking the same directly from the atmosphere instead of from the fire box of a locomotive the air contains less foreign matter or moisture.

Another object of my invention is that by delivering heated air under pressure in G011- tradistinction to air or heated air projected by steam-pressure the tracks are more thoroughly dried and clear the tread of foreign substancessuch as oil, sand, or the like-because when steam and air or steam alone is used, as hereinbefore set forth, the moisture upon the track becomes (in case of it being sand or the like) more or less plastic and adheres to the rail, and in case of the rail being covered with oily matter the substance becomes to a certain extent an emulsion or lubricant, and by projecting dry heated air upon the track no such results will follow.

A represents a fire-box of a locomotive, which is provided at its sides with the usual water-legs B and B.

0 represents the smoke-chamber of a locomotive, which is located at the front end of the same.

D represents an air-pump of any suitable construction and operated in any suitable manner, either by steam or otherwise, as found necessary or convenient. The pump B supplies air under pressure to a pipe E, which in turn communicates with a reservoir-tank F and keeps the said tank supplied with air.

Leading from the tank F are two pipes G and G, which are formed into or include coils g g. The coils gand g are preferably located within the water-legs B and B, respectively, for the purpose of heating the air and are pro vided with ejecting supply-pipes H and H, respectively,leadin g therefrom. Pipes II and II may, if found necessary, pass to the chamber 0 and include coils J and J, respectively; but this is not essential, inasmuch as when the air is su'liiciently heated by means of the coils g and g in the water-legs B and B the said pipes may be provided with branch ejectingpipes K K, two or more in number, which have their lower or ejecting orifices 70 located at or near the track L and slightly in advance of the wheels M at the side of the traction-engine 0r locomotive.

As illustrated in Fig. III, the lower ends of the ejecting-pipes K K may be turned inward, so as to clean and dry the track and at the same time throw the moisture to the inner sides of the track and against the wheelflanges, which acts to lubricate the bearing between the said flanges and the inner side of the track.

The location of the air-pump D and the method of operating the same are optional, as is also the number of ejecting-pipes K and K.

Inasmuch as the object of my invention is to clean the track in advance of the tractionwheels and also to dry the same, I do not wish to limit my invention to the details of con-' struction as set forth.

lVhat I claim is- 1. In a track clearing and drying device of the type set forth, the combination with a track, and a wheel operating upon said track; of a pipe having its outlet in close proximity to the track and in advance of the wheel, and means for supplying said pipe with heated air under pressure.

,2. In a track clearing and drying device of the type set forth, the combination with a traction-wheel and a track upon which said wheel operates; of means located in proximity to the track and in advance of the wheel forejecting heated air under pressure onto the track, and means for heating the air.

3. In a track clearing and drying device of the type set forth, the combination with a traction-wheel of a locomotive; of the track upon which said wheel operates, and means for ejecting heated air under pressure upon said track inadvance of the wheel, with means for heating the air and also means for supplying the air under pressure.

4. In a track clearing and drying device for railroad tracks, the combination with the wheels of a locomotive or traction engine and its track, of pipes located in advance of the traction-wheels of the same, said pipes having their respective outlets located in close proximity to the track and so arranged as to discharge air under pressure onto the tracks the lower ends of said pipes so arranged as to project the air inwardly and toward the flanges of the wheels, for the purpose set forth.

Signed by me at Cleveland, Ohio, this 22d day of March, 1899.

JAMES DIXON.

Witnesses:

W. E. DONNELLY, A. II, PARRATT. 

